Are gift store seashells safe for my shrimp tank?
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BostonJill
- Shrimp
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- Joined: Tue Oct 30, 2012 11:35 am
- Location: Boston, MA
Are gift store seashells safe for my shrimp tank?
I have a five gallon tank I'm setting up for some super shrimp and threw about six tiny shells in. The shells came out of a gift of box seashells one would get at an airport or tourist store. The shells were very clean and had a shine to them. I took them out after three days because I didn't have a good feeling. Would they be safe? Do you think the water is contaminated now?
Re: Are gift store seashells safe for my shrimp tank?
I'm pretty sure those gift shop shells are only polished but not treated with any chemicals. They should be ok in your tank. Just stick them in there if you are reasonably sure that there are no chemicals on them.
Re: Are gift store seashells safe for my shrimp tank?
I got a package of larger shells (about 4 inches)for my tank years ago and the shrimp seem to like it. I find they prefer the shells with more texture to their surface because they grow algae more. Until I got my snail in there, some of my shells were deeply discolored by algae but those are the ones the shrimp frequented most.
My tank also has bed of crushed coral which has really tiny, intact shells in it. I picked out the nicest specimens of these tiny cone shaped shells and, once the water was in, scattered them along the surface of the coral to increase visual appeal. Crushed coral is the only gravel that my shrimp seem to like. The white aquarium gravel I had gotten them previously actually seemed to poison them. I had to get whole new shrimp. I was horrified.
My tank also has bed of crushed coral which has really tiny, intact shells in it. I picked out the nicest specimens of these tiny cone shaped shells and, once the water was in, scattered them along the surface of the coral to increase visual appeal. Crushed coral is the only gravel that my shrimp seem to like. The white aquarium gravel I had gotten them previously actually seemed to poison them. I had to get whole new shrimp. I was horrified.
Re: Are gift store seashells safe for my shrimp tank?
Did it really seem to be the aquarium gravel that killed your shrimp? I transferred four shrimp from an ecosphere into a 1-gallon beta bowl I set up for them back on the 16th of November. There are some old sea shells and corals in there, and I made a substrate out of aquarium gravel (which claimed to be safe for salt and fresh water aquariums), some highlight gravel, and egg shells to help as a PH buffer. My SG is 1.010.
Today I came back from the long weekend to find one of the shrimp dying at the bottom. I thought he might be molting at first, his little legs were still moving, but after I rearranged some of my coral pieces and disturbed the water it was clear he wasn't getting "up." I'm wondering what could have changed in that time period? The shrimp were doing just fine for almost two weeks, and now one's dead. For a few days the water was cloudy after I transferred the ecosphere, but seems to have just been a bacterial bloom as the water is crystal clear now. I was planning to purchase a whole batch to put in there with them but I'm reluctant to until I know if it was an isolated incident (the ecosphere people say they can't guarantee how old they are, maybe it was just his time?) or if there's something wrong with the environment.
Today I came back from the long weekend to find one of the shrimp dying at the bottom. I thought he might be molting at first, his little legs were still moving, but after I rearranged some of my coral pieces and disturbed the water it was clear he wasn't getting "up." I'm wondering what could have changed in that time period? The shrimp were doing just fine for almost two weeks, and now one's dead. For a few days the water was cloudy after I transferred the ecosphere, but seems to have just been a bacterial bloom as the water is crystal clear now. I was planning to purchase a whole batch to put in there with them but I'm reluctant to until I know if it was an isolated incident (the ecosphere people say they can't guarantee how old they are, maybe it was just his time?) or if there's something wrong with the environment.
Re: Are gift store seashells safe for my shrimp tank?
Were your shrimp walking around and picking at things or were they just sitting there, possibly hiding, or just swimming around frantically (without stopping to pick at anything)? If they were displaying behavior like that it means that their environment is not quite ready for them yet. That bacterial bloom may have been an issue. Just observe the other shrimp for a while. If they aren't picking, wait until you see them picking at the substrate/glass (i.e. looking for food) before you purchase any more shrimp. You may want to get some of the brackish Chaetomorpha to help with the cycling process.
Usually one or two weeks is more than enough time for a tank to get established, but if you had even tiny amounts of animal tissue still stuck in some of those shells you introduced, it may have caused ammonia levels to go up (because it was rotting) and harm the shrimp. Shrimp can't take *any* level of ammonia, even levels not detectable by test kits. It's highly unlikely that old age had anything to do with it. These shrimp live a long time.
Usually one or two weeks is more than enough time for a tank to get established, but if you had even tiny amounts of animal tissue still stuck in some of those shells you introduced, it may have caused ammonia levels to go up (because it was rotting) and harm the shrimp. Shrimp can't take *any* level of ammonia, even levels not detectable by test kits. It's highly unlikely that old age had anything to do with it. These shrimp live a long time.